Configure NSWL client

Last published : Sep 24, 2026
After you install the NSWL client, you can configure the NSWL client using the nswl executable. These configurations are stored in the NSWL client configuration file (log.conf).
Note:
You can further customize logging on the NSWL client by making more modifications to the NSWL configuration file (log.conf). For details, see Customizing Logging on the NSWL Client System.
The following table describes the commands that you can use to configure the NSWL client.
NSWL command Specifies
nswl -help The available NSWL help options.
nswl -addns -f <path-to-configuration-file> The system that gathers the log transaction data. You are prompted to enter the IP address of the NetScaler appliance. Enter a valid user name and password.
nswl -verify -f <path-to-configuration-file> Check for syntax or semantic errors in the configuration file.
nswl -start -f <path-to-configuration-file> Start the NSWL client based on the settings in the configuration file. Note: For Solaris and Linux: To start Web server logging as a background process, type the ampersand sign (&) at the end of the command.
nswl -stop (Solaris and Linux only) Stop the NSWL client if it was started as a background process; otherwise, use CTRL+C to stop Web server logging.
nswl -install -f <path-to-configuration-file> (Windows only) Install the NSWL client as a service in Windows.
nswl -startservice (Windows only) Start the NSWL client by using the settings in the configuration file specified in the nswl install option. You can also start NSWL client from Start > Control Panel > Services. Note: The NSWL log files are created in C:\Windows\SysWOW64.
nswl -stopservice (Windows only) Stops the NSWL client.
nswl -remove Remove the NSWL client service from the registry.
Run the following commands from the directory in which the NSWL executable is located:
  • Windows: \ns\bin
  • Solaris and Linux: \usr\local\netscaler\bin
The Web server logging configuration files are located in the following directory path:
  • Windows: \ns\etc
  • Solaris and Linux: \usr\local\netscaler\etc
The NSWL executable is started as .\nswl in Linux and Solaris.
Related information

Add the IP addresses of the NetScaler appliance

In the NSWL client configuration file (log.conf), add the NetScaler IP address (NSIP) from which the NSWL client starts collecting logs.
To add the NSIP address of the NetScaler appliance
  1. At the client system command prompt, type:
    nswl -addns -f < directorypath > \log.conf < directorypath >: Specifies the path to the configuration file (log.conf).
  2. At the next prompt, enter the following information:
    • NSIP: Specify the IP address of the NetScaler appliance.
    • User name and Password: Specify the nsroot user credentials of the NetScaler appliance.
      Note:
      Any system user with logging privilege enabled supports this functionality.
Note:
If you add multiple NetScaler IP addresses (NSIP), and later you do not want to log all of NetScaler System Log details, you can delete the NSIPs manually by removing the NSIP statement at the end of the log.conf file. During a failover setup, you must add both primary and secondary NetScaler IP addresses to the log.conf by using the command. Before adding the IP address, make sure that the user name and password exist on the NetScaler appliances.

Verify the NSWL configuration file

To make sure that logging works correctly, check the NSWL configuration file (log.conf) on the client system for syntax errors.
To verify the configuration in the NSWL configuration file
At the client system command prompt, type:
nswl -verify -f <directorypath>\log.conf
< directorypath>: Specifies the path to the configuration file (log.conf).

Run NSWL Client

Start Web server logging
At the client system command prompt, type:
nswl -start -f <directorypath>\log.conf
<directorypath>: Specifies the path to the configuration file (log.conf).
Stop Web server logging started as a background process on the Solaris or Linux operating systems
At the command prompt, type:
nswl -stop
To stop Web server logging started as a service on the Windows operating system
At the command prompt, type:
nswl -stopservice